The Project
The objective of this project was to confirm the presence of koalas within an offset site using thermal drone surveys and the deployment of long‑term bioacoustic recorders.
Our Approach
Thermal drones were deployed at four locations, following pre‑programmed flight paths to systematically survey large areas of suitable habitat. Live video feeds were monitored for heat signatures warmer than the surrounding environment. When a potential signature was detected, the flight was paused and the target investigated, with on‑ground spotlighting used to confirm species.
In addition, long‑term, solar‑powered bioacoustic recorders were deployed at ten sites for a planned six‑month monitoring period. Data was analysed at two‑month intervals using a convolutional neural network–based analysis tool. The tool processed recordings by dividing the audio into three‑second segments and assigning each segment a score between 0 and 1, indicating the likelihood that it contained a koala call. High‑scoring segments were then manually reviewed to confirm koala presence.
Outcomes
No koalas were detected during the thermal drone surveys, as generally suboptimal onsite conditions, including elevated night-time temperatures, reduced the effectiveness of thermal detection.
Following the first bioacoustic analysis interval, koalas were recorded on six of the ten deployed recorders. The timing of the calls confirmed the presence of at least three individual koalas within the property. This approach reflects e2m’s use of both passive sensing and active survey methods to maximise detection accuracy and support informed environmental decision‑making.
